


Checking Me Out?

by Freelance_Magic



Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Flirting, Getting Together, Gordon decides to be assertive, Homoerotic video game playing, M/M, Shirtless Gordon Freeman, exercise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freelance_Magic/pseuds/Freelance_Magic
Summary: Gordon notices Benrey's reaction to him shirtless.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 17
Kudos: 256





	Checking Me Out?

“What are you doing, Feetman?” Benrey asks Gordon as Gordon lifts some dumbbells up and down. 

“Oh I’m just- oof! I’m just workin’ out!” Gordon strains as he does several more reps. 

“Why?” Benrey inquiries as he watches Gordon finish up with his dumbbells. “Is this another cringe ass human thing?”

“I guess? I mean, it’s good for humans to get exercise, but it’s not something that  _ has  _ to be done all the time like eating and drinking water,” Gordon explains as he rests the dumbbells on the floor. “But humans should exercise regularly. It makes us stronger and healthier if we do it enough.”

“Hmm...so like grinding EXP?” Benrey compares. 

“...That’s not too far off, actually,” Gordon nods as he stretches his arms out. “It’s sort of like that, but it can be hot and achy.”

Benrey makes a face at that. 

“Weak,” Benrey scoffs. “Why would any self respecting gamer do that?”

“Like I fucking said, it’s good for us, Benrey,” Gordon repeats. “Not all of us can be like you and game for forty eight hours straight with no consequence.”

“That’s because y’all suck,” Benrey snorts. “Can’t even- can’t even stay up till two because of your baby sleep. Little baby man.”

“...Are you done?” Gordon asks. “Or can I get back to my workout?”

“...One last thing,” Benrey adds. “Why are you doing this shit now? You weren't doing this before.”

“Oh. The reason I’m doing it is because exercise is also good for stress, releases some dope ass chemicals in my brain,” Gordon enlightens.

“...That’s kinda hot,” Benrey mumbles.

“What?” Gordon questions, doing a double take. “Did you just say it was hot?”

“Huh? No,” Benrey denies as he leaves the room, allowing Gordon to resume his exercise in peace. 

Gordon sighs once Benrey is gone, he still wonders why he lets him live with him. Well, it is nice to have someone to talk to daily, even if that someone is strange. Gordon shakes his head, he still has one more exercise before he’s done for the day. 

Gordon gets down onto the floor and gets into position to do a plank, one of the most misleading exercises Gordon has ever done. You’d think that simply having to hold a position wouldn't be too hard, but no, it’s tough as balls. But it is simple to do, even if it is strenuous. 

Gordon begins to plank and for the first couple of seconds, everything's chill. But after about three to five seconds it becomes harder and harder to hold the position. Gordon is aiming for fifteen seconds as his main goal or ten at least. 

“F-F-Fuck, come on!” Gordon struggles as his core burns. “Ju-Just a little m-more!”

Gordon counts past ten in his head, he can stop now if he wants, but he wants that fifteen second goal. With each second that passes his core burns more and more. Gordon visibly shakes as he holds his position a little longer. 

“Done!” Gordon cries out once he reaches the fifteen seconds in his head. 

Gordon collapses onto the ground, breathing heavily as he does so. Gordon lays there for a little bit, tuckered out from his work out. 

“...Ugh, I’m fucking thirsty,” Gordon groans as he picks himself off the floor. 

Gordon walks out into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, Benrey is sitting on the kitchen counter playing on his Nintendo Switch. Why Benrey chose to sit on the kitchen counter over the living room couch is beyond Gordon’s understanding, much like the rest of Benrey’s day to day choices. 

Gordon grabs a glass out of the cupboards and walks over to his fridge to fill it up with water.

“Why don’t cha just use the sink, bro? It’s faster,” Benrey pipes up as he plays his game. “Speed run that shit.”

“The fridge has... a filter,” Gordon explains while still a little out of breath. “Safer to drink and taste better.”

Benrey looks down at the sink, then back at Gordon.

“Water has a taste?” Benrey questions. “I thought it all tasted like nothing, bro?”

Gordon only has the energy to give Benrey an exhausted  _ “how dare you say that to my face”  _ look before he chugs down his glass of water. Gordon gets water all over the t-shirt he’s wearing as he drinks, causing Benrey to snicker at him.

“You're such a clumsy boy, bro,” Benrey teases. “Fucking babyman hours in this bitch.”

“Aw, shit,” Gordon groans as he looks down at his now wet t-shirt. “Fuck it, I’m too hot for a shirt anyways!”

Gordon strips off his t-shirt, sighing once the sweat and water stained article of clothing is off. Gordon takes off his glasses for a second as he wipes his brow with his shirt, he places his glasses back on his face and the shirt on the table after he’s done.

“I’m thinkin’ about making dinner, you wanna try some? I’m feeling something salty,” Gordon asks as he stretches his arms above his head. “Maybe soup?”

Gordon doesn’t receive an answer.

“Benrey?” Gordon questions as he looks over to his roommate. “Were you listening to...m-me?”

Gordon was expecting Benrey to be engrossed in his game, that being the reason why he didn’t answer him. But instead Gordon finds that Benrey is staring at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Benrey is staring at Gordon as if he’s the most incredible thing he’s ever witnessed, which makes Gordon’s heart do flips; he’s never had someone look at him like that before.

It...makes Gordon feel...kinda  _ good  _ about himself, actually.

“Ah...Benrey?” Gordon says as he waves at Benrey, trying to snap him out of this trance. “Y-You feeling okay, bud?”

Benrey blinks as he comes out of his sudden stupor.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fucking…” Benrey nods as he looks down at his game. “...dead! Ugh, now I gotta do this shit all over again, bro. That’s some cringe shit.”

“...Do you want soup?” Gordon asks once more.

“Sure, whatever,” Benrey waves off as he focuses back on his game.

Gordon raises an eyebrow at Benrey, but then shrugs off what just happened. It’s not the first time he’s seen Benrey marvel at something mundane, though Gordon has never seen him look at anything like  _ that _ . 

But it’s probably just another weird ass Benrey thing. 

Probably. 

“Alright, I’m gonna make the fucking soup now, Benrey. It’s chicken so-”

“Shh, don’t fucking talk to me,” Benrey shushes. “I’m focusing, bro.”

Gordon sighs as he turns around and gets to work on making dinner. As Gordon gets all the things he needs to make the soup his mind wanders back to the fuckery that just happened with Benrey. Well, fuckery might be a strong word for the situation, it was really just weird; even for Benrey. 

But it really wasn’t all that odd, Gordon has seen Benrey at the size of a building and phasing through solid objects for fucks sake. But Gordon just can’t seem to stop thinking about Benrey’s reaction to him taking his shirt off. The awestruck look on his face was…

Gordon shakes his head, it was probably nothing. If anything it’s probably just Benrey joking around again. Unless he has the same reaction to Gordon shirtless twice. 

...Actually, that would be a good way to tell if Benrey’s reaction is genuine or not.

“Hmm….” Gordon hums. “Not a bad idea at all…”

“You being a nerd over there, bro?” Benrey asks as he sets down his Switch on the kitchen counter. “Is that soup fuckin’ ready yet?”

“W-What? Oh, yeah. It is,” Gordon nods as he looks down at the now ready soup.

Gordon swears that tomorrow he’ll try working out without a shirt on as he reaches for some bowls in the cupboard. 

**_The Next Day_ **

Gordon peaks into the living room, Benrey is busy playing something on his PlayStation. Now is his chance to test his idea. Gordon walks into the living room wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Gordon brought his dumbbells with him to use. Once Gordon is standing in the space between the kitchen and the living room he begins his exercise routine, starting with squats. 

Gordon faces away from Benrey as he begins, it would be a little weird to stare Benrey down as he did this. While Gordon does his squats he keeps an ear out, listening for any sounds from Benrey’s game that might tell Gordon if Benrey is distracted or not. 

For the first ten squats, nothing seems to change, which disappoints Gordon a little. Maybe Benrey really was just messing around yesterday...but then Gordon hears what sounds like a short burst of Benrey’s Sweet Voice, followed by some quiet cursing and video game protagonist death sounds. 

Gotcha bitch.

A surprising amount of pride fills Gordon’s chest knowing Benrey likes what he sees. The idea of Benrey staring at Gordon with all his attention makes Gordon work even harder and longer on his squats, hoping Benrey will enjoy the show. 

Wait...this wasn’t about giving Benrey a show! This was supposed to be about figuring out if Benrey thought Gordon was hot! Which so totally doesn't fucking matter! Why would it?! It’s not like Gordon has a fucking crush on Benrey!

...Does he?

...Oh no. Oh god. Oh fuck!

Gordon puts his dumbbells down on the ground and runs to the bathroom. Once Gordon is in the bathroom he shuts and locks the door behind himself; even though it doesn’t really matter since Benrey can just walk through walls. 

“Shit, shit, shit!” Gordon whispers to himself as he paces back and forth in the small bathroom. “Fucking Benrey of all people?!”

Gordon looks over to his bathroom mirror and sighs, he...might be overreacting a little bit. Gordon takes several deep breaths to calm himself down, once calm he walks over to his mirror and stares himself down. 

“...I’m acting so fucking stupid,” Gordon sighs. “I really don’t need to get so fucking worked up about this, I’ve had crushes before.”

While it is true that Gordon has had crushes before, he’s never had a crush on someone like Benrey. Someone who always calls him by a nickname that Gordon has honestly come to enjoy in a weird way. Someone who talks like some sort of dude-bro streamer hybrid. Someone who…

Someone who has shown an interest in starting something more with Gordon. Something that Gordon has always had to be the initiator for, never the one to be asked.

“...Fuck, Benrey likes me too,” Gordon whispers, a dorky smile blooming on his face as the words slips out of his mouth. “We...I...fuck. We could be a thing if I ask.”

Gordon lets that sink in for a moment. It wouldn't take much for this relationship to start, no awkward first date would even be required since the two know each other so well. Joshua and Benrey get along great so that’s not an issue either, it was pretty heartwarming to see the two bond even if Gordon was on edge at the time; because you know...Black Mesa was a thing that happened. 

Black Mesa...that whole thing was a fucking mess. 

But things are different now. No more fucking military hunting them down, no alien creatures trying to kill them, no more death at every corner. Benrey isn’t being an asshole twenty four seven. Reality isn’t melting before Gordon’s very eyes.

Things are okay now. 

So why is Gordon in the bathroom freaking out over his own feelings? 

“...You know what? Fuck it,” Gordon shrugs. “Fuck it! If I wanna fucking kiss Benrey then I’m going to FUCKING kiss Benrey! Life’s too fucking short anyways, I learnt that the hard way! I’m done with this indirect bullshit. I want Benrey and Benrey wants me, so I’m gonna fucking get Benrey.”

Gordon turns on the bathroom tap, removes his glasses and splashes water on his face. Once Gordon is done he reaches for a nearby towel and dries his face off and places his glasses back on. 

“Let’s fucking do this,” Gordon says like he’s about to preform a heist and not just walk out in to his living room and flirt with Benrey.

Gordon takes a deep breath and exits the bathroom, it’s now or...well, Gordon does suppose he has plenty of chances to kiss Benrey in the future; they live together after all. But that’s not the point, the point is that all this is gonna get resolved today. 

Gordon arrives in the living room, Benrey is still playing video games like nothing happened. 

“Hey, man,” Gordon greets as he approaches Benrey. “Can I watch you play?”

“Sure, bro,” Benrey shrugs as he steals a glance at Gordon. “But I thought you were- were gonna grind EXP, bro?”

Oh right, Gordon was in the middle of exercising when he ran to the bathroom. 

“Ah...yeah. I’m really not feeling it, you know?” Gordon tries as he sits very closely to Benrey, even though there is plenty of room on the couch. “I got... _ other _ things I wanna do right now.”

“Hmm,” Benrey hums, not pushing the issue any further. 

Gordon watches Benrey play...whatever it is that he’s playing. Gordon isn’t actually watching Benrey play, he’s watching Benrey himself. Gordon wonders how Benrey always has that shadow over his face, it's...kinda attractive in Gordon’s opinion. It’s attractive in a weird way, just like the rest of Benrey. 

Now...how can Gordon say what he wants to say...oh, he’s got an idea! 

Gordon fakes a yawn as he stretches his arms in the air, placing one of them down around the back of Benrey’s neck. Classic move...that Gordon is pretty sure no one has ever done unironically. It does seem to work on Benrey though, if the sudden blue flush on his face and lack of skill in the game he’s playing is any indicator. 

“Ah...bro? What are you- you doin’?” Benrey asks, clearly becoming a little flustered. 

It’s a nice change of pace, Gordon thinks, Benrey being the one who’s becoming flustered.

“Just getting comfortable,” Gordon waves off. “Can’t two bros just hang out together?”

“Su-Sure. Whatever, F-Feetman,” Benrey nods, still blushing as he tries to focus back on his game. 

Benrey doesn’t seem fully invested, given how much he’s dying and walking into walls. It’s almost as if a half naked man is sitting right next to him and trying to put the moves on him.

Oh wait. That’s exactly what’s happening right now.

“Geez, Benrey...I thought you were a gamer? Why are you so bad at this game, man?” Gordon teases. 

“S-Shut up, Feetman,” Benrey grumbles. “T-This is just a cringe ass part! It’s stupid and no one likes it!”

“Here, I’ll help you,” Gordon says as he stands up on the couch and shimmies over and sits back down, directly behind Benrey. “Since you are being such a baby about it.”

Gordon snakes his arms around Benrey’s. Gordon grips Benrey’s hands, which are griping the controller. 

The two of them are now effectively cuddling, especially when Gordon rests his chin in the crook of Benrey’s neck.

“Alright, so what’s so fucking hard about this part?” Gordon asks as he moves Benrey’s character on screen. “It looks like a pretty easy puzzle, man.” 

“It’s ah...um...you know- know fuckin’ ah…” Benrey struggles as Gordon leads Benrey’s fingers to press the correct buttons. “I’m hard- I-I mean it’s h-hard. The puzzle’s hard as shit, bro.”

Gordon holds back laughter as he leads Benrey through the surprisingly easy puzzle. Seeing Benrey struggle so much is...equal parts cute and hilarious, maybe that’s why Benrey enjoys making Gordon flustered so often. This shit is fucking great.

“Well...do you need any more help? You know, while I’m here?” Gordon whispers into Benrey’s ear.

“Fuck...bro...I need it,” Benrey groans. “I mean...if you’re bored or some shit...sure.” Benrey recovers.

As much fun as it is to watch Benrey get so worked up, Gordon wants to get to the point already. 

“...Hey, weird question for ya, Benrey,” Gordon starts as he wraps his arms around Benrey’s torso.

“What’s crackalackin, bro?” Benrey responds. 

Gordon snorts at Benrey’s response, fucking Benrey always makes him laugh at the worst possible times.

“I was just wondering...do you- are you seeing anybody right now?” Gordon asks. “Like, romantically?”

“Ah...nah. Too busy getting monster kill steaks ‘n shit. Why?” Benrey inquiries. 

“So I can do this,” Gordon answers as he tilts Benrey’s face towards his own.

Gordon leans in and kisses Benrey.

Gordon is surprised at just how much he needed this as he holds onto Benrey tighter. Benrey in turn moves so now he’s facing Gordon, rather than their weird over the shoulder deal they were just doing a moment ago. 

The two break for air...well, mostly it’s Gordon who needs air. Gordon isn’t even sure if Benrey actually needs to breathe or not. 

“Bruh…” Benrey whispers as he stares deep into Gordon’s eyes. “That was tight as fuck!”

Gordon can’t help but laugh, only Benrey would say that after a kiss. 

“I didn’t...didn’t fucking know you had all this totally epic sexiness in you, Feetman,” Benrey says as he gestures to Gordon’s naked torso. “You fuckin’- fuckin’ had me simpin’, bro. With your hot ass body.”

Gordon looks down at his so-called  _ “hot ass body.”  _ While Gordon has been exercising lately he is definitely not...thin. He’s by no means unhealthy, he just has a dad bod going on, which makes sense because he is, in fact, a father. It still...makes him feel a little bit embarrassed sometimes. 

But not right now, not with Benrey. 

“Well, I might have noticed that you seemed to...ah,  **_really fucking_ ** enjoy it when I take off my shirt. So I might have decided to exercise shirtless in front of you,” Gordon recaps. “By the way...what was the color of your Sweet Voice that you released when I was doing squats? I didn’t get a look.”

“The colors was nunn-ya to beeswax, Gordy,” Benrey answers as he looks away from Gordon in embarrassment. 

“Did...you just call me  _ “Gordy” _ , Benrey?” Gordon questions. “...Are...A-Are you trying to give me a pet name already?”

“...Do...do you think it’s cringe, bro?” Benrey asks as he shoots Gordon a nervous look. “I mean, I can try some other shit, o-or just call you Gordon if ya’ want, you know...just skip the gamer tags ‘n shit-”

Gordon grabs Benrey by the back of his head and brings him into another kiss.

“It’s fine, Benrey,” Gordon smiles as they part from the kiss. “...But you aren’t gonna get rid of Feetman...are you?” 

“I thought you thought that name was shit and hated it?” Benrey points out.

“...What can I say? I grew on me, man!” Gordon chuckles. “...But if you could refrain from calling me that in public that would be-”

“Nah, bro. I know you love it now. So I’m gonna say it  **_all_ ** the time now,” Benrey smiles mischievously. “Gonna be screaming Feetman from the fucking rooftops, bro.”

“...Are you going to scream it in bed too?” Gordon asks as he wiggles his eyebrows at Benrey. 

“...Damn, Feetman. Already tryin’ to get me into bed? You don’t- don’t wait for anything, don’t cha?” Benrey chuckles. “You thirsty ass bitch.”

“Well...maybe not right now. I’m in more of a cuddling sort of mood, you know?” Gordon shrugs. “Can we cuddle? It’s been so fucking long since I got to cuddle and  _ god  _ do I need it bad.”

“Ah…” Benrey looks down, he is currently entangled in Gordon’s arms. “Is...this not that cuddling shit I’ve heard about?”

“I mean...yeah? It is,” Gordon nods. “A-And it’s nice, don’t get me wrong! I just- fuck- can we trade places? I...wanna be held.”

“...Fuck, sure thing bro,” Benrey nods as he gets up so the two can change positions. 

Once Gordon and Benrey have successfully traded places with who’s holding who Gordon lets out a content sigh. 

“Fuck...this is nice…” Gordon sighs as he melts into Benrey’s touch. 

“Damn, bro. You fucking falling asleep or some shit?” Benrey asks. “What am I gonna fuckin’ do if you fall asleep?”

Gordon reaches over to the coffee table and picks up Benrey’s controller. 

“Play games,” Gordon answers simply as he holds up the controller for Benrey to take.

“Niiiiccee…” Benrey smiles as he takes the controller from Gordon. “Cuddling with...are we boyfriends?”

“Fuck yeah we are, man!” Gordon smiles. 

“Epic. Cuddling with my new boyfriend and playin’ some games,” Benrey says with a calm arm pump. “Livin’ the fucking good life.”

Gordon closes his eyes as a content smile blooms on his face. He’s so glad he got over himself. 

A few peaceful seconds pass as Gordon leans into Benrey’s touch as video game noises add background sound. Everything’s perfect as he closes his eyes. 

...Well, almost everything. Gordon realizes he has a question for Benrey. 

“Hey, Benrey?” Gordon pipes up.

“Yeah, bro?” Benrey responds. 

“Do...d-do you actually have a foot fetish or something?”

“....”

“Benrey?”

Benrey doesn’t respond to Gordon’s question.

“Your silence is deafening, Benrey,” Gordon says as he give Benrey a very suspicious look.

“...BBBBBBBBBBBB!” Benrey vocalizes.

“Benrey, you can’t just go BBBBBB to avoid my questions,” Gordon chuckles. 

“BBBBBBB!” Benrey counters while staring at the TV. 

“...Just so you know...I like you, even if you wanna nibble my toes or some weird shit like that,” Gordon says as he pats Benrey on the cheek. 

“BBBBBB!” Benrey continues to vocalize.

Gordon laughs, he doesn’t know why, but Benrey’s  _ “BBBB”  _ sounds always make him laugh. 

“BBBBBBBB!” Gordon vocalizes back.

“BBBBBBBBB!” 

“BBBBBBBBBB!”

“BBBB!”

And so the two spent the rest of the night cuddling, playing video games and making “B” sounds at each other.

A love story for the ages. 

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe BBBBBBBB is their always...
> 
> Anyways...I hope y'all enjoyed this! Until next time!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
